UK Prosecutor Details Alleged Iran-Directed Chlorine Bomb Plot At Manchester Synagogue
Prosecutors told a London court on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that two Iranian men plotted a chlorine bomb attack on Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.[1]
Defendants Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, were charged Friday, October 2, 2026, with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts after arrests in September.[1] Prosecutor Mark Luckett told Westminster Magistrates' Court a third person believed to be in Iran coordinated the plans and gave bomb-making instructions.[1] He said the pair carried out hostile reconnaissance of Jewish sites in Manchester.[1]
Police told the court both men had entered the UK irregularly via small boats crossing the English Channel within the past six years.[1] Court records show Salehi holds asylum while Ahmadyan's asylum claim remains pending.[1]
Senior counterterror policing coordinator Vicki Evans said the case is believed to be isolated and poses no ongoing public threat.[1] She told the court it was unrelated to the suspected plot at the U.S.-run RAF Fairford air base.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Saturday, October 3, 2026, prosecutors alleged in Westminster Magistrates' Court that two Iranian men plotted a chlorine bomb attack on Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.
- Defendants Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, were charged Friday, October 2, 2026, with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts after September arrests.
- Prosecutor Mark Luckett said a third person believed to be in Iran coordinated the plans and gave bomb-making instructions, and that the men carried out hostile reconnaissance of Manchester Jewish sites.
- Senior counterterror policing coordinator Vicki Evans said the case is believed to be isolated, poses no ongoing public threat, and is unrelated to the suspected terror plot at U.S.-run RAF Fairford air base.
- Police told the court that both men entered the UK irregularly via small boat crossings of the English Channel in the past six years; Salehi has asylum and Ahmadyan's asylum claim is pending.
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